"^fSof 




Jumping and Gross Country 
Riding 

First Lieut. Adna R. Chaffee, Jr., 
Thirteenth Cavalry 



OlilllllllHIIUilMlilllllliW 



Reprinted farom 

THE RASP. 1913 

Mounted Service Sohool PreM 






'b 



U- 



V(AR DEPARTMENT. 

RECKIVEP 



APh / 






JLiMPING AND CROSS COUNTRY RIDING 

By 1st Lieutenant Adna R. Chaffee, Jr., 
Thirteenth Cavalry. 

"WHAT practical value is there in having a horse which 
can jump? Do you expect the average soldier, mounted on 
the remount furnished in time of war to get over big 
fences?" "Why is so much time spent at the Mounted 
Service School in exercises over obstacles?" These are 
questions which have been asked in the service and will be 
asked again. They come from practical men and must 
have practical answers. 

The primary value of this work is as a physical exercise 
for man and horse. 

The cavalry soldier must be as good a horseman as we 
can make him in order that we may have a maximum of 
mobility, marching power, and fighting power in the 
saddle. Any exercise which will lead to a firm seat in the 
saddle under all circumstances, endurance, quick thinking, 
resolution, and daring will increase our efficiency in the 
three qualities mentioned. Jumping does this. 

The horses which we ride in time of peace may all have 
to be replaced during the course of a war. The trooper 
who has a good tight seat in his saddle will train his re- 
mount much quicker and make him a serviceable horse 
sooner than one who has not had the benefit of such exer- 
cise. As a suppling exercise, to establish and keep a firm 
seat in the saddle during violent movements of the horse, 
jumping is the best means at our disposal. 

For the officer it does more. If he schools his own 
horse to carry him over obstacles, his pleasure and interest 
in his daily riding are greatly increased. As his pleasure 
increases he begins to note the differences which come from 
variations of feeding and work, to understand condition- 
ing; before mounting he takes more note of his horse's 



care and appearance, and the care of his leather and bits. 
Just as soon as the officers' horses and equipment are kept 
in fine shape and closely looked after, the troop mount and 
equipment will greatly improve. 

The more that officers and men ride for pleasure out- 
side of drill hours, the better will be our physical condition, 
the greater our endurance. 

Jumping and cross country riding are continually teach- 
ing the rider that the horse is capable, when properly 
managed, of surmounting difficulties which before would 
not have been attempted. He will get his horse, even 
the war remount, if not across the biggest fences, still 
across the lowest panel nearby, or over the small natural 
ditches usually encountered in open country. If we can 
cross the small natural obstacles quickly and surely, our 
ability to stay on our horses and keep going forward, to 
ride around the hostile parties and find out what is behind 
them or to maneuver and push them aside will be greatly 
increased, and our information will be fresher and more 
quickly transmitted. 

So much for the rider, what are the benefits for the 
horse. 

Jumping is a splendid exercise for developing the mus- 
cles of the hindquarters, the loin, the back and shoulders, 
and for hardening and strengthening the tendons, especially 
those of the fore legs. It makes the horse extremely quick 
and agile in the handling of his feet and teaches him to 
balance himself by the use of his head and neck. This phy- 
sical development adds to his marching and weight-carry- 
ing power, the agility aids in quick maneuvering over 
rough country. It makes horses bold, self reliant and cool 
in tight places. It may be argued that troop horses should 
not be exposed to such a chance of accident. The chance 
of permanent injui-y in infinitesimal. This is more than 
offset by " the increased physical development of the troop 
mount as a whole. 

I do not believe that a horse's schooling in jumping 
should be taken up until he is at least four years old and 
has had nearly a year of riding. In that time his physical 
growth is well advanced. 

An officer's horse should then be safe and pleasant to 
ride at all gaits and quite handy. The average troop horse 



should then be fairly well under control at the three gaits 
and should turn and halt quite easily. 

To begin his schooling I would place a bar on the 
ground in a riding hall or other enclosed space, perpendi- 
cular to the wall and across the track. The horse should be 
bridled with a snaffle only. Standing on his near side, take 
the bight of the reins in the left hand, the right grasping 
both reins about eight inches from the bit. In this manner 
lead him over the bar. As soon as he has crossed, stop 
and pat him — or better give him a handful of oats. Then 
start again, away from the bar, make a wide change of 
direction and return over the bar in the opposite direction 
to the first crossing. Be sure that you stop and caress 
him after each crossing so that he may quickly learn why 
the rewards are given. This should be continued until he 
no longer pays attention to the bar, crossing it at a steady 
walk, without hesitancy and without hurry. During the 
daily rides out of doors one may now commence to lead 
him over the smallest natural obstacles to be found; bars 
or six inch tree trunks on the ground, small shallow ditches 
which he can step down into, up and down small banks and 
over rough ground. Passing obstacles when led by the 
reins must be regarded not only as a means to the end, but 
also as an important part of the education itself. It is a 
method which must frequently come into the service of 
troops and even of the individual, when faced by a difficult 
crossing. 

Having made him quiet, calm and confident in leading 
we may now take up the work on the longe. 

Again the horse must be led back and forth over the 
bar on the ground, this time with the cavesson and longe. 
During his year of training he has been carefully trained to 
work on the longe at the three gaits, to halt and take up 
each gait at the command of the voice. As in all work with 
the longe, the latter is held in the hand nearest the head, 
folded in eights, and the driving whip is held in the hand 
nearest the croup, butt to the front and lash trailing behind. 
After the horse has been quietly led over the bar several 
times, the trainer allows his longe to slip out a few feet and, 
standing a little in rear of the end of the bar allows the 
horse to pass over it quietly. As the horse approaches the 
bar the trainer should accompany him, keeping level with 



the haunches. As the horse passes over the bar, the trainer 
allows the longe to slip through his fingers so that the horse 
may become accustomed to leaving the obstacle on a 
straight line. The horse thus works on an ellipse instead 
of a circle, and the trainer moves back and forth on a 
straight line following the longest axis of that ellipse. As 
soon as the horse goes over the bar quietly at a walk he is 
made to take the trot and perform the same work at that 
gait, the ellipse being slightly enlarged. The same work 
is performed at a gallop. The bar should not be raised un- 
til he is perfectly calm at the three gaits in passing the bar 
on the ground. 

The bar should then be carefully raised a few inches at 
a time. The trainer's attention should now be concentrated 
on the manner in which the bar is approached and cleared, 
rather than on the actual height passed over. Now, also 
the horse must be taught to respect the obstacle, so that 
while the latter is kept low, it should be as fixed as possi- 
ble. 

Work on the longe should be continued until the horse 
jumps quietly any moderately high obstacle of any nature 
which is placed before him. 

During a horse's whole career as a jumper one should 
frequently return him to the lessons on the longe. Jump- 
ing is largely a matter of muscular development and skill. 
To develop these the horse should jump a great many times 
over low obstacles. With a rider up this is not possible on 
account of ^ excessive fatigue, but with the longe one may 
make him jump from thirty to fifty times in one lesson. with- 
out danger. 

The following rules should be observed during the les- 
sons on the longe : 

1. Handle the longe as you would a rein — always with a 
light feeling on it and never a dead pull. 

2. Be sure that the horse does not receive a blow on the 
nose because of the longe being too tightly held. 

3. Only touch him with the whip in case of emergency ; 
the voice and the sight of the whip will usually suffice. 

■i. The trainer should approach the obstacle with the 
horse, arriving near the end of the hurdle as the horse 
takes off; the latter is thus prevented from refusing by cut- 
ting his circle. 




o 

o 

< 

Q 

m 

Q 
I-! 
O 

in 



03 < 
< 

o :2 

Eh " 
t) Q 

§W 
PS 

o 
)-? 
& 
o 

W 

CG 

S 
O 

12; 
o 

w 



5. As the horse passes over the obstacle the longe should 
be allowed to run out of the hand smoothly. If it is folded 
across the hand in eights it can do this; there will also be 
no danger of the trainer's being dragged with his hand 
caught in a loop. 

6. Change direction frequently, working equally' to the 
right and left hands. 

7. Be very liberal with rewards, especially in the begin- 
ning. 

With troop horses, where a sufficient number of good 
cavessons is not available or when there are too many 
horses to be trained at once, or again when men skillful 
with the longe are not availiable, one may give the first 
lessons in a chute. 

One of the best forms of chute which I have seen is that 
designed by Mr. Thomas Hitchcock of Long Island, of 
which a photogi'aph is shown herewith. Due to its small 
dimensions and short turns a horse is prevented from rush- 
ing his jumps. The chute shown in the photograph could 
be bettered by having a ditch on one side which could 
either be used alone or in conjunction with the fence on 
that side. The fences, which work on counterweights, can 
be raised or lowered with one hand. The disadvantage of 
this chute is its cost, and the requirement of a skilled car- 
penter. Chutes have been built on Mr. Hitchcock's plan at 
Fort Meyer and Fort Leavenworth. 

Another form, of simpler construction, is of elliptical 
shape, the axes being 60 and 30 yards. A three barred fence 
six feet high forms the outer perimeter. There are two 
concentric tracks, each eight feet wide. The two inner 
fences are of two bars and are four feet high. The inner 
track is arranged to receive movable obstacles, two on 
each side, whose height and breadth can be varied at will. 
This is the track used for training young hoi'ses to the 
mechanism of jumping and for developing their muscles. 
The outer track contains four fixed obstacles of the types 
usually met with in the neighboring country: post and rail, 
brush, earth banks, with or without ditches. This track aids 
in completing a horse's education as a cross country horse. 

In the riding hall a very serviceable chute can be made 
by placing a line of wings eight feet from the wall and par- 
allel to one of the long sides. Several obstacles are placed 



6 

across the path thus enclosed. The end may be blocked by 
one of the short sides of the riding hall and a narrow space, 
through which the horse can be led out, left between two 
of the wings; or the end may be left quite open and the 
horse allowed to run out into the riding hall, where he can 
be easily caught. 

A long straight chute out of doors is perhaps useful for 
teaching steeplechase horses to jump without hesitation 
when well extended, or for a few timid horses which habit- 
ually hang back. The ordinary horse in such a chute is 
liable to learn to rush his jumps in an undesireable manner. 

As on the longe, the work in a chute must be graduated 
according to the horse's progress as to height, duration and 
speed. Everything possible must be done to keep him 
calm. With troop horses an officer should always super- 
vise this work. With the circular chute abuse is particu- 
larly easy. It is such a pleasure to watch a horse at liberty 
which is jumping willingly that we are liable to forget how 
much energy he can expend in a very short time. Then 
also in our desire to see what he really can do we are prone 
to raise the bar too quickly and perhaps get a fall which un- 
does all our former work by taking the heart out of the 
horse. It is certainly very easy to disgust a young horse 
for this work in the above manner. 

When the horse is sufficiently advanced in his work 
without a rider and shows sufficient muscular power, we 
must take up his mounted training. 

For the first lesson we return to the bar on the ground 
across the track. A large snaffle bit is the proper mouth- 
piece. An old horse as leader is here useful during the first 
lessons. 

In approaching the bar at first, the rider should have 
his horse well between his hands and legs in a collected 
walk to avoid his hesitating or turning out. As he passes 
over be sure that the fingers are opened so that he may 
take any amount of rein that he desires. On the next turn 
of the hall the reins may be held longer, as he will probably 
pass over without trouble. Should he make a sudden jump 
take hold of the pommel or mane, let the reins slide out 
and take them up very gradually afterwards; do anything 
to avoid punishing his mouth. When he passes easily over 
one bar, then place two together on the ground. Continue 



WAR DEPARTMliNi 

APH / 1914 

*—***— *—■■*— —fit I iJMifffilK^ 




with the bars on the ground until he crosses them in his 
stride on the track or in the middle of the hall at a walk 
and trot, without swerving or changing his pace. One may 
then raise one of the bars a few inches at a time, leaving 
the other on the ground, until a height of about two feet 
six inches is attained. 

Gradually obstacles of about the same height but of 
different character will be substituted for the two bars. 
Work with the obstacle in the center of the hall should ad- 
vance more slowly as to height than on the track; the bars 
and other obstacles used there should be rather long; ex- 
cept with indifferent riders, wings will not be necessary. 

This work should continue until jumping obstacles of 
this size and character becomes second nature to the horse 
and the thought of attempting to escape by stopping or go- 
ing around never enters his head. It is important that 
tlie gaits during this period be restricted to the walk and 
trot. At these gaits he is more easily held straight, and he 
learns to raise his shoulders and to make the greatest use of 
his head and neck. 

The same progression is observed out of doors, the 
height and character of the obstacles being gradually chang- 
ed until the horse passes all kinds of low natural obstacles. 
Since these obstacles are usually fixed he leai'ns to respect 
his jumps and, if kept to the slow gaits he will learn never 
to refuse. 

For ditches and broad jumps the same progression is 
followed. 

Both indoors and out the height may then be gradually 
increased. When it reaches three feet a few strides at the 
gallop should not be denied if the horse demands them, as 
he probably will. Care must be taken not to give him a 
shai'p pull just as he takes the gallop. The effect of this 
would be to make him nervous, irritable, and to make him 
pull to get his head. If the hands are kept still and he is 
taken up gently on the far side of the obstacle, he is more 
likely to remain calm and jump without excitement in the 
future. From the few strides at the gallop it is nec- 
essary to progress and allow him to jump many obstacles 
in the full gallop stride. When he clears from four to four 
and a half feet regularly and in his stride, does not hesitate 
at ditches of eight feet or so, and remains calm with other 



horses galloping about him, his education as a cross coun- 
try horse is complete. 

Having sketched a form of progress for the education 
of the horse in jumping, let us now see what is necessary 
to bring the rider to a stage wherein he will make the most 
of his movmt's abilities and thereby take him safely and 
easily across obstacles. 

The rider we must keep in mind is the military rider. 
His conditions are different from those faced by the race 
rider whose prime object is galloping and whose obstacles 
are of secondary importance ; different from those of the 
ordinary hunting man who is riding a sure going horse usu- 
ally in the best of condition; different again from the horse- 
show rider who has eight to ten artificial jumps between 
wings to negotiate. The military rider must often take a 
comparatively green horse, perhaps suffering from lack of 
forage and tired from long marches and get him across a 
rough country picking the least formidable obstacles the 
time and circumstances will permit. 

His seat will be that which combines the rider's maxi- 
mum of security and driving power with the least possible 
fatigue to the horse. 

Before taking up jumping the rider should have a fair- 
ly firm seat at the three gaits. It is not within the scope 
of this article to go into the details of this instruction, the 
difficulties encountered and their remidies. It may how- 
ever be remarked that the riding of many different horses, 
use of suppling exercises, and much work without stirrups 
is conducive to the best results. 

The stirrup leather should generally be adjusted so that, 
when the leg hangs naturally, the tread of the stirrup will 
strike the boot half way between the top of the heel and 
the ankle. This rule is not without exceptions: some cases 
will be found where, due to the conformation of the rider's 
thigh or lower leg, it is desireable to lengthen or shorten 
the stirrups a little more than stated. 

The heel should be lower than the toe and the foot 
shoved home to prevent the loss of the stirrup. The inner, 
upper part of the calf should lie close to the horse near the 
rear edge of the girths. There should be no daylight under 
the knees, and the thighs should be well descended. The 
weight should be borne equally on both buttocks, which 




< 



fe < tf 

2 fa w 

a3 fa M 

^ fa 
^§> 

S w S 

« ffi H 

W H w 

^ H O 

pel IX pq 

^ 5 S 

9 ^ 

i^; ;» o 

< <^ 

><j w ^ 



fa s 



« O Q 

O K < 

^ r-l W 

Q 2 H 

* « fa 

ago 
««^ 

tH . O 

M Eh M 

§ li ^ 

2 S ^ 

^ Q fe 

S w :? 

fa tf w 

w w 2 

Eh O > 



9 

must be drawn well under the body and should remain in 
the saddle. The upper part of the body must be extremely 
supple; carried ordinarily in an upright position, it must be 
free to sway with the movements of the horse. The hands 
are carried low and well separated, the fingers ready to re- 
lax and allow the reins to slip at any desired instant. 

In order to understand the appropriate actions of the 
rider's hands, legs, and weight in jumping, it is necessary 
to consider the successive phases of the horse's leap. 

If the horse approaches the obstacle at a walk or slow 
trot these several phases will be more apparent than at the 
faster gaits. 

We will consider them as follows: The take-off; the 
leap proper; the landing. 

The take-off. In approaching the obstacle at a walk 
the horse hurries his last few steps in order to give him- 
self a little spring and to diminish the muscular effort which 
is necessary to clear not only the height of the fence but al- 
so a certain amount of breadth. At the same time he 
gathers himself, drawing the hind legs under the mass; he 
then draws back the head and neck on the bodj' so as 
to carrj' their weight on to the hind quarters and lighten 
the forehand in order that the latter may be easily raised. 
The more marked the carrying back of the head and neck, 
the more the forehand may be raised with facility. The 
movement to the rear is preceded by a movement of exten- 
sion which gives a sort of swing to the head and neck and 
regulates the amount Avhich they are drawn in on the body. 
It corresponds to the movement of extensions in the arm 
of a ball player making a long throw: there is a prelimi- 
nary motion forward before the arm is brought to its rear- 
most point, from which it w^hips forward again and releases 
the ball. Greater extensions in the first movement will 
give greater power in the second and third. This extension 
is also a safeguard, in that it permits the horse to have a 
good look at the obstacle he must cross. 

The leap proper. The hindquarters being well drawn 
under and weighted, the forelegs now act as springs to lift 
the forehand. They immediately bend to clear the obstacle. 
At this moment the hind legs are extended with a power- 
ful thrust. This thrust, with the impetus due to the hurry- 
ing of the last few steps, allows the forelegs, bent under 



10 

the body, to attain sufficient height to pass over the obsta- 
cle. The extension of the hindquarters is no more than 
finished when the horse again extends his forelegs and 
stretches out his head and neck as much as possible to aid 
in drawing the whole mass forward. At the same time he 
bends his hind legs under him to prevent their touching 
the obstacle. The movement is like that of a balance scale 
when the weights are transferred from one pan to the other. 

Tlie landing. The forehand having led the hindquar- 
ters in the scale motion, the hind feet follow the front feet 
to the ground and are placed more or less closely to the 
latter. The head and neck then raise slightly, taking 
weight off the fore legs, and the horse resumes his stride. 

When the rider approaches the obstacle, he should close 
his legs to keep his horse in the forward movement, lower 
and steady his hands and settle down in his saddle with his 
body well relaxed. The arms should be supple enough to 
permit the preliminary movement of the horse's head and 
the hands should accompany it forward and back moving 
just enough so that the light touch on the mouth will not be 
lost at any moment. As the head extends, while the mass 
is being thrust over the obstacle, the rider should yield as 
much as possible in his shoulders and arms; if still more 
rein is demanded by the extension, the fingers must now 
permit it to pass easily and without the least jerk ; on the 
other hand, they must not turn the rein loose or give more 
than is actually asked for. 

If the rider has "gone with his horse," during the up- 
ward movement his bodj^ will have flexed forward at the 
waist, the buttocks remaining well down in the saddle; di- 
rectly above the hurdle, it should be about vertical, but 
with the back well curved to the rear and supple ; as the 
horse lands, the body will naturally be a little in rear of 
the vertical. The legs should remain on the girths through- 
out the movement. 

At the moment of landing, the fingers should close on 
the reins to prevent their slipping further and to give a 
slight support as the mass comes to the ground. 

The body then comes up to its original position, the 
reins are gradually adjusted, and the horse leaves the ob- 
stacle in the same gait which he approached. 

The instructor must be able to see at a glance the faults 



II 




o 




&H 




o 




g 








S 




n^ 




H 




s 


Q 


S W 


OH 


O H 




>A 


III 


a< 


«S 


< O 




o 


P 


as 


oj 


C3 




1-5 


H 
^ 


33 


PQ 


05 


> 




< Q 


M ;? 









w 


H 


fe 


hj 


O 


H ^ 


tf o 


o 


HH 


fe 


CO 




H 


z 


Eh 


o X 


s 


» 


^ 




H 


Q 


Eh 


^ 


X 


H 


H 


H 


hJ 


X 


>A 


W 






hJ 




(i< 




f_ 




-< 




W 




■^ 




« 




^; 






< 
w 

o 

o 

o 
5 ^ 

i« 

M O 

Q O 
« iz; 

CO *^ 

<< c» 
O 
H 
hJ 
W 
« 
O 



Q < 

O C 



y^ S 




o 



cc 



2^ 




£ < 




^^ 




tf O 




, ^ 








< Q 


Eh 


-i tf 


a 


3 ** 


o 




05 


^s 
















r. S 




S o 




W o 








' cc 




^ 




z; a 




r Hq 




k' 




-' Q 




Wg 








a S 




3i ^ 




X CO 









H H 




hJ h5 




W H 




« P3 




O O 




fe fe 





1 



11 

of his pupils in order that his correction may follow in- 
stantly after commission. Let us then list the principle 
errors for which we must watch. 

In approaching, at a distance of about ten yards from 
the hurdle, just as the horse takes a little "run in" for his 
take-off, we frequently see a strong pull on the reins which 
throws him out of his stride, hurts his mouth, and next 
time, at the same point, he will throw up his head and 
bolt. 

Nearer, we see the legs to the front — there is no driving 
power and the horse may easily stop ; or they are not close 
into the horse — he will be liable to jump out from under the 
rider and would leave him on the croup if it were not for a 
good tight hold which he has on the reins. If his back is 
stiff now he will certainly be thrown up out of his saddle 
when the horse is above the obstacle. 

As the forehand raises there are two principal faults: 
standing in the stirrups, and stiffness in the shoulders, arms 
and fingers. The first tends to diminish the driving power 
of the legs, and to place the rider too far forward as the 
horse comes down; he is also in no position to render any 
aid in .case of a mistake. The second prevents the play of 
the head and neck and the horse receives a strong blow in 
the mouth which is liable to throw him and is almost cer- 
tain to digust him with jumping in the future ; this blow is 
frequently strong enough to wrench the rider from his 
saddle. From this cause, the hands will usually be seen to 
fly upward. 

As the horse descends we often see the legs fly out to 
the front. If he stumbles or strikes the obstacle hard, the 
best thing for the rider to do will be to close his legs hard 
and endeavor to keep him going forward until he can get 
his feet under him, at the same time supporting him with 
the rein. If the legs are too far to the front they will be 
too late in acting. The seat will also be loose and the horse 
will receive a heavy blow in the back from the rider's 
weight. 

Again at the moment of landing, the fingers having grip- 
ped the reins too tightly, will cause the hands to fly upward 
and give the horse a painful blow in the mouth. At this 
point also, if the rider is rigid in the arms and body, he is 
liable to be drawn forward out of his saddle. 



The best instructions for beginners will be, "Sit well 
down in j'our saddle, close your legs, lower your hands, re- 
iax your body from the waist to the fingers, and go with 
your horse. Do not jump before the horse nor after the 
horse, but jump with the horse." 

"When a horse refuses to jump, his rider, or the in- 
sti-uctor who is supervising, must determine the cause in or- 
der to applj' the appropriate remedy. If the horse has shown 
sufficient strength in his work in the chute or on the longe 
and if his education in jumping has been well conducted, 
the only explanation of his refusal to jump lies in his re- 
bellion against the aids or in a lack of tact on the rider's 
part. 

In the first case the wisest thing to do is to perfect his 
training before recommencing to jumjj. 

If he refuses on account of the awkwardness of the rid- 
er, the instructor's indication to the latter of the fault com- 
mitted will usually suffice to obtain obedience on the part 
of the horse. 

Refusals on the part of the horse may generally be 
grouped under three classes as follows: 

Stopping Short. This comes through lack of impulsion 
or fear of the rider's hand. If from the former, it is neces- 
sary to take the horse away from the hurdle and give him 
a thorough lesson in moving forward immediately at the 
indication bf the legs, or if need be the spur; this done, he 
should be brought back slowly, well gathered, calm, and 
very straight, and he should be pushed out only during the 
last strides. As soon as he jumps dismount and pet him. 

If he refuses through fear of the rider's hand, one must 
first modify the bitting. Then the bar must be lowered, or 
out of doors, the smallest obstacle chosen, and the rider 
should allow the horse to pass over these at a walk and 
slow trot with the reins long until the latter regains confi- 
dence and stretches his head and neck in jumping. If nec- 
essary the rider should take hold of the pommel to avoid 
any jerk on the horse's mouth. 

The horse runs otit at a distance from the obstacle. To 
do this he first forces the rider's hand, placing the head and 
neck in any position which enables him to escape the au- 



I 



i 




o 

EH 

P 
> 

^^ 
^A 
H 

o 

<! 

m 
M 

^^ 

Q S 

h^ * 

O W 




h3 
< 
O 

M 

> 
W 

O 

a 

a 
w 
&^ 

M 

&^ 

M 
<1 

« 

J 
-1 



13 

thority of the bridle, and he escapes hi whatever direction 
he can. 

The rider, in this case, should stop his horse, quiet him, 
place the head and neck in the normal position, and in 
bringing him back to the obstacle hold him enclosed to the 
last moment between the reins, separated and well stretch- 
ed, and the legs, driving as hard as possible. 

The horse turns out close to the obstacle. Two cases 
may arise here: Where the horse escapes "with a shoulder 
leading; where he escapes with a haunch leading. 

In the first instance the leading shoulder must be re- 
strained either by use of the opening rein, if he shows 
merely an attempt to swerve, or bj' a strong use of the in- 
direct rein if he roughly throws his shoulders out of the 
straight path. He must be energetically pushed with both 



In the second case, where he escapes with a haunch 
leading, to the left for example, one may replace the 
haunches in the proper direction by using the lateral aids 
of left shoulder-in (left rein of opposition i^nd left leg). It 
is true that the horse's head is drawn in the direction in 
in which he wishes to escape, but under the action of the 
left rein and leg the whole mass, and it is that which counts, 
is pushed over to the right. The right opening rein acts as 
a regulator in guiding the forehand. The horse should be 
straigthened at the last moment and the impulsion of the 
shoulder-in rein together with the energetic action of the 
legs should send him easily over the obstacle. All the de- 
fenses which have just been analj'zed are always preceded, 
at some point or other, by the horse's quick abandoning of 
the rider's hand. He profits of this moment of liberty to 
take the position which he prefers for resisting. 

The rider, in bringing his horse up to the jump, should 
therefore guard the haunches carefully with his seat and 
legs and keep his reins stretched so that he does not lose 
contact with the mouth." 

{Extract Manuel d^ Equitation et de Dressage, 1912.) 
Horse Show jumping and steeplechasing are in some 
ways different from the usual cross countiy jumping, and 
some modifications are required of the methods outlined 
above. 



14 

In the show rings of this country it is usual to find two 
obstacles on each long side of the "ring," of heights from 
four to four and a half feet. As to type they are usually the 
obstacles found in the surrounding country; brush, post 
and split rail, stone wall, plank fence, and gates predomi- 
nate. The size of the ring seldom permits more than one 
hundred feet between jumps on the same side. 

In hunter classes, horses are required to take these ob- 
stacles in their stride at a fair hunting gallop. The same 
pace ought to be demanded in military jumping classes. In 
the open jumping classes the form and pace in which the 
horses jump have little influence with the judges, it is then 
merely a question of getting over without touching. In 
schooling for the first named classes one must endeavor to 
obtain a clean jumping horse, but at the same time he must 
not show a great waste of energy by going a foot higher 
than every obstacle. He must jump regularly and uni- 
formly, and not stand off ten feet from the first fence and 
on the next one get up so close that he has to wriggle over 
it. He must not "prop" or jump stickily. 

in order that the rider may not overload the horse's 
loin and that his body may be quite in line with the thrust 
of the hindquarters, it is well to shorten the stirrups a little 
and lean forward slightly from the waist in taking off. The 
seat should remain close to the saddle. In this manner the 
horse has the greatest chance of avoiding a touch in front. 
In clearing the obstacle, likewise, the body is kept slightly 
forward so that the hind quarters may not be overloaded 
and cause a hind foot to descend quicker than it ought, giv- 
ing a tip on the fence. The forward position enables the 
rider to get along with less manipulation of the reins than 
he would use in open country — the arms and shoulders take 
up nearly all the play of the head and neck — so that the 
horse is in hand for the second jump as soon as he lands 
from the first. This is especially advantageous where a 
close in-and-out is set. 

A horse which is fit for the show i*ing practically never 
refuses. For this reason the driving power of the seat 
described above has been lessened to permit greater facil- 
ity in bringing the horse under control in the very short 
distance between jumps. Nevertheless the rider still has 
sufficient leg pressure to materially aid his horse in the col- 



15 

lection before the jump, and a skillful man may even save 
a touch by a hind foot, which he feels to be dragging, by a 
quick pressure of the legs or a touch of the spur while quite 
in mid -air. 

Jumping without touching the obstacle is largely a mat- 
ter of habit with horses. It is well to do a great deal of 
their early training over solid fences, so as to instill in them 
a proper respect and caution. With older horses which 
have become careless, a rapping bar, used either by hand or 
on pulleys attached to the obstacle, may cause them to take 
more pains; or the fence may be slightly raised and tied in 
place. Care must be taken in both instances not to sour 
the horse in his work. 

Work on the long reins is excellent for quieting horses 
which are hot-headed and inclined to rush their jumps. The 
long reins may also be substituted for the longe in the earlier 
stages of the horse's education in jumping, but their use de- 
mands a great deal more tact and skill on the part of the 
trainer. 

In steeplechasing the horse's ability to take and sustain 
a fast gallop is the first consideration. The obstacles are 
not usually formidable, but the horse, even when tired, 
must be able to take them in his stride without hesitating 
or checking before or after. A horse wi.ose education in 
jumping has been carefully conducted as indicated above, 
needs but a few lessons at jumping at speed to make a ser- 
viceable steeplechaser, provided he has speed, staying 
power, and courage for the final struggle in the stretch. 

As speed and endurance are here the main objects, the 
rider's seat must be such as to favor both. The stirrups 
are considerly shortened. The thighs are close to the horse 
and the lower legs steady. The top of the body is inclined 
forward to free the loin, allowing the hindquarters to act 
with more power, placing the center of gravity forward, 
and so favoring speed. The buttocks, while they are thus 
raised slightly out of the saddle, can instantly drop into it 
again, provided the thighs, knees, and lower legs, preserve 
their adherence. 

The rider should try, more than ever, to push his horse 
up to the hand. The more the horse has confidence in this 
support, the better will he place himself to assure speed. 

The hands should be held low and supported against 



16 

the neck, so as to give the horse the most stable and con- 
stant support possible. Since the horse is already well ex- 
tended in his gallop, the play of the head and neck is less 
marked than in jumping at oi'dinary speed. The rider is 
therefore usually able to take up what play there is, in his 
shoulders and arms. For this reason, and in oi-der to les- 
son the pull on their arms, which is very fatiguing in along 
race, most steeplechase riders cross their reins and support 
them against the base of the neck. In case of a horse tak- 
ing off a stride sooner than expected, or of even a slight 
rap on a stiff fence, it takes a great deal of dexterity for 
them to allow the reins to slide out and save a fall. Because 
of their forward position in the saddle and the high speed, 
we have seen many of them wrenched from their saddles 
by the extension of the head and neck following slight 
mistakes not even sufficient to bring their horses to their 
knees. This is because their reins were held in such a 
manner that they could not slide easily in case of emer- 
gency. It is recommended therefore, that the reins be not 
knotted and be only crossed in case the horse is a very 
strong puller. 

As in all racing, judgement of pace plays a capital role. 
Aside from the matter of sustaining the gait over a long 
distance, every horse has a maximum rapidity of stride 
with which he can jump with safety. Pushed beyond this 
he will be almost certain to fall. The rider must feel the 
horse in this stride and must not exceed it in approaching 
the obstacles. 



i 



